Laptop owners know that no matter how well they treat their batteries, they will eventually die. It’s either you replace the laptop when your battery dies, or you just replace the battery. If it’s the latter, then you’re in luck – it means the rest of your laptop is still working okay.
While laptop battery death is inevitable, it doesn’t have to be so sudden. Windows will send you a warning when your battery reaches extremely low capacity levels, but you can also keep checking on its capacity.
A dead laptop battery can kill your work just before you have the chance to save it. As your laptop ages, its battery life decreases. It’s more than just a nuisance – it can be a scary issue, since it can cause your laptop to shut down abruptly or even prevent it from starting when it’s not plugged in.
How to tell if your laptop’s battery is dead
Normally, Windows doesn’t keep you up-to-date with your laptop battery’s capacity. The longer or more often you use your laptop, the battery weakens.
If you notice that your laptop is not working well as it used to be, the first thing that enters your mind is whether or not the battery is the problem. To figure it out, connect your laptop to an external power source via the laptop’s charging cable. Leave your laptop off overnight to give it plenty of time to attempt charging.
Once you turn the laptop on and Windows appears, go to Desktop mode and check your laptop’s battery icon in the system tray. Hover the mouse pointer over the battery icon to see the status message and percentage, which indicate how full your battery is. You may encounter any of the these scenarios:
- If the status message reads, “Plugged in, Charging,” it means that your laptop battery is working, even if its charging capacity has greatly decreased since you purchased the laptop.
- If the status message reads, “0% Available (Plugged In, Not Charging),” it means that power is not getting to the battery, an indication that it is truly dead.
- If the icon shows a battery with the red “X” next to it, Windows cannot detect the battery, which means it is likely to be defective.
There are also a number of computer programs designed to assess the various aspects of your laptop battery and diagnose any issues. Programs such as Battery Eater, Smarter Battery, and Notebook Hardware Control measure statistics, such as your battery’s average charging time. Many laptop manufacturers even come up with their own programs to test and diagnose battery issues.
How to replace your laptop battery
Your battery will die at this point, which is inevitable. The best and the only way to do is to replace it. The process is quite simple.
Make sure that your laptop is turned off before removing the battery. Release the latch or other attachment devices that hold the battery. Remove the battery from its compartment and inspect it for its model number. In purchasing the new battery, you may buy it either from your laptop’s manufacturer or third-party shops. Although third-party options may be cheaper, using your laptop’s manufacturer may provide the highest quality, and come with a service warranty. Use your old battery’s model number and your laptop’s model to purchase for the new battery of the same exact model.
Once you have the new battery, slide it into your laptop’s battery compartment, and close the latch to lock it into place. Plug in your laptop’s charger and see if it’s charging. If it’s not charging or if there’s a red “X” over the battery icon, it means that the battery is defective and you should promptly return it for a replacement or refund. But if it is otherwise charging, then well and good – leave your new battery to give it plenty of time to charge. Once the battery capacity hits 100%, unplug the charger from your laptop.